


Something Old, Something New

by Tide_Pod_Juul_03



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: (is Krew still Korra's team avatar name?), F/F, Gen, I want Suki to learn how to drive a satomobile, Sokka and Asami epic handshake meme STEM non benders with great hair, Tenzin's gonna have a stroke, Time Travel Shenanigans, be the change u wanna see in the fandom i guess, couldn't find a 'krew meets gaang' fic ANYWHERE, first chapter was written with no plot in mind, im making it up as i go pray for me, might throw Kya and Bumi in later for the fun of it, this takes place post atla and post lok
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:08:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29084397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tide_Pod_Juul_03/pseuds/Tide_Pod_Juul_03
Summary: After a camping trip gone awry the Gaang find themselves on Air Temple Island, 70 years in the future.--Obligatory time travel shenanigans fic.
Relationships: Korra's Krew, Korra/Asami Sato, the gaang - Relationship
Comments: 86
Kudos: 279





	1. Naga Causes Problems On Purpose

**Author's Note:**

> This fic idea would not leave me alone send help.
> 
> Hmu on tumblr https://tidepod-juul03.tumblr.com/ <3

In Sokka’s opinion, it was all Aang’s fault.

Katara would say it was Toph’s, who thought it was Zuko’s, who would reluctantly point the finger at Suki, who, as the current keeper of Team Avatar’s braincell, agreed with Sokka that it was mostly Aang’s fault.

Aang honestly was just happy to be with friends.

This year’s fuck up was… something of an anomoly. Once again, it has been pretty basic. It had really started simple enough. For the past three years, the friends would get together at least once a year and go on a two week camping trip to chase after the simpler times when they slept together under the stars and were frequently being hunted by the Fire Nation. It was tradition, as was something usually going wrong. 

Spirit shenanigans followed Aang like a bad taste at the back of your throat, but that had hardly stopped the Gaang from having their usual camping adventure. And things had gone well, too. Zuko and Toph had a campfire going, Suki and Sokka had already gone hunting and were dressing their kills, and Aang and Katara had three tents set up neatly around the soon to be roaring fire.

Of course, Aang chose that moment to activate whatever weird spiritual aura he had that drew craziness to him like a buttermoth to a flame. He’d wandered off into the woods and, having been gone for an usually unusual amount of time, the rest of them had set out tracking with their resident expert in Avatar tracking (as much as Zuko resented the title) in the lead.

Of course, Aang couldn’t be doing something normal.

“...Is that a polar bear dog?” Sokka finally asked while the five of them stood on the edge of a clearing, watching Aang play wrestle with a massive polar bear dog. Which, for the record, not native to the forests of the Earth Nation.

Aang hardly seemed to notice his newfound audience, too caught up in scratches and cuddles. “Aang, why do you have a polar bear dog?” Sokka repeated. Aang looked up as the group cautiously approached, weapons and elements at the ready.

“It’s okay! She’s friendly!” Aang gestured to the discarded dog saddle nearby, “There’s a tag on her saddle, her name is Naga. Come say hi!” Aang sprang to his feet, air scootering in circles around Naga and laughing as she chased after him, howling and barking with delight.

“She does seem sweet.” Katara said, stepping closer and holding out a hand. Naga stopped and sniffed Katara’s outstretched hand, tail wagging with a sudden ferocity as she bypassed Katara’s hand entirely and licked her face. “Okay, little gross but sweet.”

Beside Sokka, Suki took Toph’s hand and the two of them walked closer as well. “She’s adorable.” Suko cooed and scratched Naga’s ears. Naga chuffed and nosed at Suki’s hand before flopping over on her back and showing her stomach, to which the four of them immediately descended upon it with rubs and scratches.

“Zuko, tell me I’m not crazy. Does anyone else not find it weird that there’s a freakin’ polar bear dog in the middle of the forest?” Sokka turned to his final confidant, only to discover the treachery reigned supreme when he found Zuko already sitting down with Naga’s head in his lap.

“Okay, okay. Yeah it’s a little weird. But she clearly has an owner.” Katara pointed out, gesturing towards the saddle. “Where’s your owner, girl?”

Naga huffed again and rolled to her feet, nearly crushing the group before trotting over to her saddle and nosing at one of the pockets. Sokka wandered over, keeping an eye on the polar bear dog, before opening it up and pulling out a piece of paper. Unfolding it, he found a black and white drawing.

Four young adults a little older than them looked at the camera, eyes wide and grinning as they posed. A woman with long, dark, curly hair and some kind of mechanical glove that Sokka was itching to get his hands off draped her arm across a young man’s shoulder. He was grinning widely and had a fire ferret draped across his shoulders. Another man stood on the other end, arms crossed, eyes a little guarded. In the middle, a girl was dressed in water tribe clothing and beaming at the camera. And there, tucked into the far right side of the portrait like an afterthought was…

“An airbender?” Sokka asked, incredulously. Aang paused from where he was picking fur off his robes and wandered over, looking at the drawing. Aang’s eyes widened as he grabbed the photo from Sokka and peered closer at it. “An airbender?” Aang repeated. “He… he has tattoos like a Master, and he’s dressed like one. Maybe I’m not the last one! This proves it!”

“Slow down.” Sokka demanded, snatching the picture back. The others wandered over to look at the picture as well. “This drawing is weird, there’s no brushstrokes. Who are these people? Why are they dressed so funny?” Sokka asked, handing the picture around to the others so they could see.

“Maybe it’s a stamped image?” Suki suggested, looking closely. “It’s so lifelike though, how did they get it so detailed?” Pausing, Suki pointed out the dark haired girl with the glove. “She’s pretty.”

“The two men are brothers, I think?” Zuko added. “They look similar. The one’s probably a firebender, he’s in a resting stance.” Toph rolled her eyes and sat down beside Naga, petting her fur. “This isn’t as fun for me as it is for the rest of you.” She muttered.

“Well, the one girl has to be water tribe.” Katara suggested, fingers tracing the edge of the picture. “Her pelt’s a wolf hare and they’re not found in the Northern tribe. But I don’t recognize her. Maybe she’s Naga’s owner?”

“Has to be.” Sokka agreed, turning back to the polar bear dog. “Is this your owner?” He asked, holding up the picture only to stop short. “There’s writing on the back.  _ Asami, Bolin, Korra, Mako, Tenzin. Air Temple Island. _ ” Sokka read, giving the others a weird look. “Air Temple Island? Aang, do you know where that is?”

Aang shook his head, looking troubled. “No, I’ve never heard of it. Maybe it’s new? Maybe a couple airbenders escaped and established an island where they’d be safe? Naga, can you take us to Air Temple Island?” He asked.

Naga yawned and stood up, careful of Toph, and nosed her saddle again with more vigor. “I think she wants us to put it on her.” Suki said, her and Katara already pulling the saddle off the ground and fixing it around Naga.

“Hold on, are we really doing this? Are we seriously getting on the back of a random polar bear dog in the middle of the forest and going who knows where?” Sokka asked, yelping when Toph landed a well aimed punch on his shoulder.

“If this Tenzin’s an airbender, we have to meet him.” Zuko pointed out. Aang nodded solemnly. “I have to know, Sokka. I gotta do this.”

Sokka sighed and rubbed his eyes. Maybe a side quest might be good. Besides, weirdness was tradition. “Fine. But we’re taking Appa, not Naga.” Sokka relented, ignoring the cheers from the group in favour of pulling out the bison whistle and summoning Appa.  _ ‘Children, the lot of them.’ _

A few minutes later, thanks to months of practice from being on the run, the campsite was taken back down and packed away and all four animals (Naga, Appa, Momo, and Toph) were ready to take to the trail.

And what a slow trail it was.

“Are we there yet?” Toph bitched. Due to the dense forest, they couldn’t fly without losing track of Naga. Which meant walking. A lot of it. About half an hour’s worth at this point.

“I don’t know, ask the polar bear dog.” Sokka shot back. Zuko sighed and crouched without a word, letting Toph piggyback on him as was their usual go to when alone with no royal court to gasp in shock at the Fire Lord debasing himself.

All at once, Naga took off like an eelhound, howling like mad. “Woah, slow down girl!” Aang called, air scootering after the animal. “Aang, you lunatic wait for us!” Sokka shouted. The five of them, as well as their animal companions, took to the chase.

Finally, Naga stopped in front of a stone archway covered in symbols, pacing back and forth and pawing excitedly. Sokka shared a look with Katara and stepped forward, placing a hand on Naga’s flank. “Naga, there’s no island here.” He said slowly.

Suki stepped forward to join him, circling the stone arch. “It almost looks like a doorway, though.” She pointed out.

“The stone is weird.” Toph announced, hopping off Zuko’s back and approaching the archway. She ran a careful hand over the stonework, frowning. “I can’t bend it.”

Aang hummed and assumed his stance, staring intensely at the arch. “I can’t either. And there’s a strong spiritual energy coming off it. Maybe it  _ is _ a doorway?”

Sokka scooped a rock off the ground and tossed it through the opening, raising an eyebrow when the rock disappeared into thin air. “So it’s definitely a doorway. Are we really gonna do this?” He asked, already knowing the answer. Suki and Katara were already pulling travel packs off Appa and distributing them.  _ ‘Well, that answers that.’ _

“It could lead to airbenders, Sokka. We have to.” Aang insisted. Naga barked and settled onto her stomach, staring expectantly at the group. “I guess. Well, let’s get this over with.” Sokka moaned. The group huddled closer together and approached the arch, Naga trotting over to join them. “Wait here, Appa. You and Momo watch the archway and make sure nothing happens.” Aang ordered. Personally, Sokka thought it was a little nutty the way Aang always spoke to the animals like they could understand, but whatever. Avatar nuttiness.

Stepping through the invisible doorway was like getting a cold blast of water from Katara that soaked Sokka to the bone. All at once, the soft grass of the forest fell away and was replaced with damp rock of a harbor, causing the group to lose their footing and collapse in a heap on the other side. Behind them, the archway stood decorated with different ruins.

“Okay, let’s never do that again.” Zuko gasped, turning a sickly shade of green. “What? No way, that was so much fun!” Aang laughed and bounced over to the where Naga had followed them through, running gentle fingers through her fur. “Is this the island, girl?”

Nearby, Sokka watched as Toph frowned and slid to her knees to touch the dirt. “Across the water… there’s something big? Some kind of massive city. But it isn’t stone and wood, at least not all. It’s… metal? And there’s these weird vibrations, like some kind of… bouncy footed komodo rhinos if that makes sense.” She muttered. “It doesn’t, if that helps.” Katara replied absentmindedly, too busy squinting across the bay at something. 

“It does look like a city, but I’ve never seen one so big. Or so shiny? It’s kind of an eyesore.” Suki explained, moving to stand beside Katara and matching her frown. “Hey Aang?” She added, looking over to where he was sitting beside Toph and frowning at the dirt. “Yeah Suki?” Clearing her throat pointedly, she gestured just slightly off from where the city was in front of them. 

“Was just curious. Why is there a massive metal statue of you in the harbor?”


	2. Dinner Interruptus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner had started off normal enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi y'all, was planning on updating once a week but I had some free time today! I'm glad everyone's liking this fic so far, honestly your reception kinda blew me away <3 I hope you enjoy!
> 
> I have a tumblr! Hmu at https://tidepod-juul03.tumblr.com/ for LoK/AtLA prompts!

Dinner had started off normal enough. A cozy get together dinner was tradition whenever Korra and Asami stopped in from their spirit world adventure to check on Future Industries and the world at large. Tenzin and Pema would host and Team Avatar would get back together to catch up. All in all, a nice vacation away from their vacation and Korra’s favourite part of coming home.

Maybe 20 minutes into dinner, Korra felt a Something.

“Everything alright?” Asami whispered to Korra when she felt her tense up at her side. Korra shrugged and turned back to her food. “Probably nothing.” Korra replied. Hopefully nothing. Get together dinners were so rare nowadays, the idea of a Something interrupting it was frustrating to say the least. Korra found the older she got, the less she cared for Somethings.

Across the table, Jinora shifted and made intense eye contact with Korra. The two of them grimaced; if Jinora was getting bad vibes, it had to be something involving spirits. Clearly a Something. And unfortunately spirits take precedence over dinner.

“Something’s off.” Korra interrupted, drawing everyone’s attention. “I don’t know what, but something’s not right. There’s this weird energy I’m picking up on.”

Pema tsked and stood up with a groan. “I’ll start packing the food away.” She sighed. “If anyone wants to take home any of the leftovers, just let me know.” Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo stood to help while the others slipped back into their old roles of Avatar, Avatar mentor, and Avatar supporters.

“What’s the vibe?” Bolin asked, snatching a last bao off his plate before smiling at Pema. “Spirits? Natural disaster? Please tell me I won’t need to fight a volcano again.”

Mako reached over and mussed his brother’s hair up, equal parts affectionate and exasperated. “I doubt a volcano is gonna spring up in the middle of the city.” He pointed out mildly. “If it’s a weird energy, it’s probably spirits. Right Korra?”

“I don’t know.” Korra sighed and stood, pacing back and forth. “It feels spirit adjacent. Almost like the spirit portals in the poles? Not quite the same energy as a spirit but the same base material.”

Tenzin hummed quietly and stood as well. “Jinora? Your thoughts?” He turned to his daughter, brow raised as Jinora closed her eyes in concentration. “It definitely feels like a portal. But I’m not detecting any spirits.” She said slowly. “Maybe a portal just… opened, like with the spirit ray? I think something came through it, but it wasn’t a spirit.”

“Another person?” Asami mused. “We haven’t heard of any other people in the spirit world, but who knows. It’s so big and with multiple portals, it’s hard to say if anyone snuck in.”

“Jinora, Korra, do you think you could lead us to the portal?” Tenzin asked. “Is it even on the island?” Jinora nodded firmly. “It’s definitely nearby. I think we should be able to, between the two of us. Right Korra?” 

“Definitely.” Korra agreed, helping Asami to her feet. “It wouldn’t be a Team Avatar meet up without spirit shenanigans.” Bolin shivered and stood as well. “I hate spirits. They’re always so spooky.”

Asami shrugged. “Korra once got sworn at by a porcuhog spirit, after that they don’t seem so scary.” She assured, patting Bolin on the arm. “Besides, we have the edge. They don’t know we’re coming. I’ll protect you from the spirits.”

With that, the six of them headed out the door, Jinora and Korra in the lead. The trail led the group to the other side of the island, winding down past the rocky cliffs that lined the back half of Air Temple Island and onto the pebbly shores.

“I haven’t been down here for a long time.” Tenzin said as the group picked their way slowly over the damp stone. “Avatar Aang used to use this area for his own personal training.” The shoreline was dotted with meditation spots, wooden benches collapsing under the weight of disuse and salt water. On a branch nearby, a half destroyed airbender cloak was left to fend against the elements.

“Why did Aang have a private training spot?” Korra asked as she touched the cloak, flinching back as the fabric seemed to disintegrate under her fingers. “You know how intense the Avatar state can be. This was an area for him to work at maintaining control during the state.” Tenzin explained. “It was far enough away that, worse came to worse, no one would get hurt.”

“I think this is where the spirit portal is.” Jinora said suddenly. “We’re close.” With that, she took off into the darkness leaving the other scrambling to follow her. When they finally caught up, Jinora was standing in front of a huge stone archway which was studded with spiritual words in a long forgotten language.

“This has to be it. It’s all spooky and spirity.” Bolin huffed. Tenzin looked up from reading Jinora the riot act for running off to take in the archway looming in front of them. “The ruins seem to be some kind of doorway spell.” He said, reaching out to trace a symbol with his finger. “I don’t recognize the language, though. I didn’t even know this existed on the island.”

“There’s something up with the rock.” Bolin added, joining Tenzin in touching the stone. “It isn’t responsive. It doesn’t bend.” Korra frowned and assumed her stance, staring intensely at the arch. “I can’t bend it, either.” She admitted after a pregnant pause.

“Okay, guys. I think we’re forgetting something important here.” Mako interrupted. “Jinora said something came through the portal. Where is it?”

As soon as Mako finished talking, suddenly the ground seemed to liquify under their feet and swallow them, leaving only the shoulders and head exposed.

“Nice timing, Mako.” Asami said deadpan, shooting him a stink eye for her trouble.

“That was a really good set up, thanks for that.” A voice called from nowhere.

“Who’s there?” Korra called out. “Did you come through the portal? Who are you?” A different voice scoffed loudly. “If this is some kind of trap, you guys are the worst kidnappers ever.” They jeered. “I dunno, I mean. They did get us through the portal.” The first voice pointed out.

“Okay this is getting absurd. Let us go now!” Korra shouted. “I’d listen to her. She’s the Avatar.” Mako added.

The voices went silent for a moment before one of them spoke up. “No she isn’t?” They said, confused. “Uh, yeah I am. Let me out of here and I’ll prove it to you.” Korra shot back. “She… isn’t lying.” One of the previous voices replied. “She’s telling the truth.” The first voice scoffed. “Maybe she’s a freakishly good liar like Azula.”

“Azula?” Korra asked, incredulous. “Like, the princess? The one that died like ten years ago?”

There was more silence.

“I’m sorry, this really should be happening face to face.” Tenzin interrupted. “My name is Tezin, I’m Korra’s airbending teacher and mentor. The others are Korra, Asami, Mako, Bolin, and my daughter Jinora.”

“Airbending? You’re an airbender?!” A new voice spoke up, young and excited. “Yes, I’m a Master airbender.” Jinora coughed subtly. “...As is my daughter.” Tenzin added.

Suddenly, part of the cliffside sloughed away and revealed a small cave where six shadows stood. Despite the darkness, Korra could tell they were armed and ready to fight. “I’m an airbender!” The voice replied cheerfully. “Oh. I thought we found all the airbenders a few years ago.” Korra mumbled to herself, still tugging at the dirt to try and free herself.

“Oh right, sorry. Let me!” The voice continued. The dirt and rocks around them seem to liquify again, this time pushing the group to their feet and settling steady beneath them.

“Oh, thanks.” Asami said, brushing stray dirt out of her hair. “I’m not really a mud bath kind of girl.” Korra snorted and bumped her shoulder against Asami. “No, you’re a priss right?” She teased. Asami just rolled her eyes and flexed her arm to show off her shock glove. “A real helpless little girl.”

“Back up, didn’t you just say you’re an airbender?” Bolin asked, drawing the groups attention. The voice laughed. “See, that’s why your Avatar can’t actually be the Avatar.” The figure stepped forward into the moonlight revealing, to Korra’s shock, a familiar person holding his glider staff at his side. “Because I’m the Avatar.” A 15 year old Aang said.

Korra and Tenzin gaped in wonder.

Asami, Bolin, and Mako all side eyed each other.

Jinora, somehow, looked unsurprised.

“I knew I recognized your energy!” Jinora announced, startling everyone out of their shock. “I thought I was crazy.” Aang raised an eyebrow at her. “I’m sorry, do we know each other?” He asked politely, giving an enthusiastic wave.

All at once, Tenzin snapped into action and stepped forward, hands raised and element ready. “I don’t know what kind of sick trick this is, but you’re going to regret it.” He growled. Korra blinked in surprise at the unfamiliar hostile tone before stepping in between Aang and Tenzin. “Tenzin! Calm down, let’s get answers first before we go attacking look a likes. Maybe he’s just some harmless kid who’s really into history?”

“I mean, I do like history.” Aang chirped, seeming unphased by Tenzin’s near attack. “Wait, Tenzin? And your names are Korra, Asami, Bolin, and Mako?” A voice called from the cave. A young girl who looked eerily familiar stepped forward into the light, brandishing a photograph. “We found this on Naga. I take it she’s yours?”

“Naga?” Korra asked, surprised, before spying a large white lump still behind the group in the cave. She felt her heart drop at how motionless Naga was. “If you hurt Naga I swear-”

“Relax, she’s fine. Just tired.” A boy stepped out from the cave, equally familiar with hair tied back in a Southern water tribe style. “I know you two.” Korra said softly, staring intensely. “...Sokka and Suki.”

The two of them startled, giving Korra matched expressions of shock. “How do you know our names?” Sokka asked carefully. The phrase bubbled up from somewhere deep inside Korra. “Some friendships can last many lifetimes.” She replied quietly. Aang stiffened and gave Korra a close look. “Avatar Roku said that to me once.”

Korra shrugged and crossed her arms. “He’s kind of a little bitch, but he has a good heart I guess.” Sokka snorted. “You say that like you know him personally.” He accused, eyebrow raised.

Korra sighed dramatically and stepped forward, prompting Suki and Sokka to draw their weapons. “I told you, I’m the Avatar.” Korra explained slowly. “Oh yeah? Prove it.”

Drawing a deep breath, Korra held out her hand, twisting her wrist just so to create a small whirlwind in the palm of her hand. “See? Air.” The whirlwind died down and exploded into a small flame which danced between her fingers gracefully. “Fire.” Korra let the fire die down and held her hand palm down, bending a rock into her hand and shaping it into a perfect circle. “Earth. And…” Korra let the rock fall and called out to the water silently, letting it stream from the bay to circle around her hand like a glove. “Water.”

Sokka, Suki, and Aang all dropped what they were holding.

“No way, that’s impossible!” A girl stepped out of the cave and Korra felt a punch to the gut at the sight of that determined jaw set and hair loops. “Katara?” Nearby, Tenzin swayed on his feet, looking like he was going to faint.

“Guess we may as well all come out.” A voice sighed from the cave as  _ Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation and Toph Beifong _ emerged.

“This is insane. I’m gonna throw up.” Sokka announced, actually looking a little green around the gills. “Please don’t.” Katara slugged Sokka in the arm, ignoring his yelp of pain. “You’re gonna throw up? _I’m_ gonna throw up!” Bolin shot back, eyes wide and starstruck as he took in the group in front of them.

“I think I know what’s going on.” Asami interrupted. The lot of them turned to look at her, desperate for someone to make sense of the craziness. “Avatar Aang, when did the Hundred Year War end? Is it still going on?” She asked.

Aang shook his head, looking bewildered. “It ended three years ago. We were on a camping trip and found Naga and she lead us to this spirit portal.”

“Time travel? We’re doing time travel? Really?” Bolin groaned. “That’s so clich é.”

“Aang…” Korra said slowly, ignoring Bolin’s outrage. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but it’s been 70 years since the war ended. You’ve been dead for just over 21 years now, and I’m your newest reincarnation. I’m Avatar Korra.”


	3. Pema Exposition Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To Pema's credit, she’d barely raised an eyebrow when her teenaged time traveling father in law and company had been pulled through the doors of her home and sat down at the table while the adults tried to figure out what was going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! New chapter! I should say, you probably shouldn't get used to a chapter a day. I'm planning on updating either as I go, or at the very least every Friday. But still, enjoy!
> 
> (is it obvious I like Pema a lot?)

The air was thick with unspoken tension as Pema cheerfully doled out dinner for a second time. To her credit, she’d barely raised an eyebrow when her teenaged time traveling father in law and company had been pulled through the doors of her home and sat down at the table while the adults tried to figure out what was going on. Personally, Suki found her composure admirable.

“If I had known Aang was coming, I would have made his favourite.” She joked, laying out the food and sitting down in her normal spot with a balmy smile. “Egg custard tarts?” Aang asked hopefully, just as immune to the tense atmosphere. “Of course.” Pema replied.

“You really didn’t have to make us dinner, ma’am.” Suki said, elbowing Sokka in the ribs as he went to dig in. Aang sometimes said a prayer before eating, and when in Rome. God forbid that Suki be a rude guest and all. “Sorry. It just smells really good.” Sokka apologized, eyeing the dumplings in front of him. “It’s alright. I know dumplings are your favourite, Sokka.”

“How do you know so much about us?” Zuko asked curiously. Suki was honestly impressed by how calm they all were (Korra and friends notwithstanding), but part of her was still reeling over the fact that it was the future. There was  _ electric lighting _ inside the temple, something Suki hadn’t seen outside of Fire Nation factories and ships. Sokka had been clearly biting his tongue and trying not to ask Asami about her glove.

“Well, I’ve been an Air Acolyte since I was about 18 years old. I’ve been here a long time, mostly helping with the cooking and upkeep.” Pema explained, gesturing for everyone to go ahead and eat. “You all came over many times during the years to visit and I made sure to have your favourites ready when you docked.”

Pema was clearly the sweetest person in the world, Suki decided, digging into her food. “As for the others, well, you six ended the Hundred Year War. You’re famous. Spirits, there’s statues of you all over the city.” Pema added. En masse, the group choked on their food in shock.

“How many statues are of me and are they metal or rock?” Toph demanded, whacking Zuko on the back. “I think three, two metal and one stone.” Pema mused. “Or two stone and one metal. Either way there’s a huge one of you outside the police station.”

“Police station? Did they get tired of painting her mugshot everywhere every few days and just put a permanent one up?” Soka wheezed out around a lungful of soup. “Well. Hm. I probably shouldn’t tell you too much until Tenzin and the others decide what to do next.” Pema explained.

_ ‘Makes sense.’ _ Suki thought, clearing her throat. “Can you tell us more about the others? I feel a little bit at a disadvantage.”

Pema nodded slowly and stood, walking over to the wall and pulling a few pictures off it. “Well, first off my name is Pema. I’m Tenzin’s wife. You already met my oldest daughter Jinora. We also have another daughter named Ikki, and two boys named Meelo and Rohan.” She started, passing along a family portrait of them all standing together. “This was taken shortly after Jinora got her airbending Master tattoos. She’s the youngest airbender in recorded history to get her tattoos.” Pema added proudly.

Aang ran a careful finger across the glass, expression unreadable. “I never thought I’d see another airbending Master, let alone two.” He admitted, passing it along. “Who drew it, anyways? It’s so detailed.” Katara asked.

“Drew? Oh. Oh, right. Cameras haven’t been invented yet. It’s called a photograph. A camera takes an instantaneous picture of what’s in front of it, and prints out a perfect copy.” Pema explained with a smile. “Sounds fake. Do you have one and can I take it apart?” Sokka asked, earning another rib punch from Suki.

“Ignore him, Sokka likes to tinker.” She explained. Tinkering barely scratched the surface, if Suki was honest. Pema laughed. “It’s fine. I don’t own a camera, they’re fairly expensive. You should talk to Asami when they get back though, she’s an engineer.”

Zuko looked up from where he was describing the photo to Toph and raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t think there were any female engineers.” He said, looking impressed as Katara snorted. “Future’s better already.” She muttered, taking the next photo from Pema.

“This is Tenzin and Korra. Tenzin’s sort of in charge, or so he thinks. He’s been studying airbendering since he was old enough to hold a staff. He can be a little dour and dramatic sometimes, but I’m pretty fond of him.” Pema continued. “Korra is this generation’s Avatar. She’s from the Southern Water Tribe.”

“What’s she like? I’ve never met another living Avatar.” Aang asked excitedly. “Well, Korra is talented. She struggled with airbending, but everything else came as second nature. Without her, we’d all be dead a dozen times over. She loves her work. She’s said before, all she ever wanted to be was the Avatar.” Pema replied, frowning a little. “But she’s a very different person than you. I’m unbelievably proud of her, but don’t go getting down on yourself. You do amazing things with your time.”

Aang straightened up and nodded, looking a little relieved. “I like being the Avatar, but I can’t imagine loving it like Korra seems to.” He admitted. “She’s a different breed. She’s apparently a lot like Kyoshi.” Pema said.

Suki sat up at that, eyes wide. She hadn’t even considered what the future was like for her home. “Do you know how the Kyoshi Warriors are?” She asked Pema. “Thriving, and not just in Kyoshi anymore. Most major cities have Kyoshi Warrior centers now where the girls live and train, though it’s most popular in the Fire Nation. There’s even one in the city near the Eastern Gates.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, Suki turned back to the photo before her. The knowledge that the ways of Kyoshi didn’t disappear as time went on was a comfort. She couldn’t imagine living in a world where the Kyoshi Warriors didn’t exist.

“I don’t have any good photographs of them, but the others are Bolin, Mako, and Asami. Korra’s best friends.” Pema paused for a moment. “Asami is Korra’s girlfriend.” She continued with a blank expression on her face as the group processed the information.

Suki couldn’t say she was surprised. Same sex relationships, while not entirely supported, weren’t uncommon in her village. Girls working and living in such close quarters, putting their lives in each other's hands. It was bound to happen. But it was done behind closed doors and carried out discreetly. The idea of the Avatar of all people dating someone of the same sex would have been a scandal.

But that was 70 years ago. Clearly things were different now.

“The monks always said as long as no one was getting hurt, there was no wrong way to love.” Aang mused and nodded to himself. “Is Asami nice? She must be wonderful. I can’t imagine not loving someone wonderful.”

And that was that.

Pema sighed, relieved clearly, and nodded. “Asami Sato is one of the most brilliant women I’ve ever met. She’s a good influence on Korra. All three of them are.”

Behind Pema, the door leading into the hallway opened and the others filed through. What little cozy atmosphere Pema had cultivated seemed to vanish into thin air at the serious looks on Korra and Tenzin’s face. Asami still had the same fascinated look on her face that she’d worn since they realized what exactly was going on, like she was itching to ask them as many questions as Suki could feel bubbling up inside her. Mako carefully avoided eye contact and sat as far away as possible, meanwhile Bolin made a beeline for Suki and sat right next to her.

“Hi! I’m Bolin!” He chirped, holding out a hand. Suki stared for a moment before taking it, mildly impressed by how strong his handshake was. “Not to be weird or anything, but I’m so excited to meet you. When I was little I wanted to be a Kyoshi Warrior so bad.” Bolin shot Mako a sour look, one that was gracefully ignored. “Mako told me Kyoshi Warriors aren’t usually benders. And are usually women.”

Suki couldn’t help but snort with laughter at how earnest and wide eyed Bolin was, how he looked at all six of them like they hung the moon. It was charming. “So you’re a bender? Earthbender I assume?” She asked. Benders had been conscripted into war efforts or taken by the Fire Nation during the war, and so for 100 years there hadn’t been any benders in the Warriors. Plus, most benders didn’t see the need to learn hand to hand combat.

“Wow, how’d you guess?” Bolin gasped. Nearby, Mako rolled his eyes and picked at his food. “You look like one?” Suki replied, a little confused. Earthbenders had green eyes, dark hair, and were usually corded with muscle, just like Bolin. He frowned a little and shrugged. “Little profile-ish but I guess mixed nation children weren’t common 70 years ago. Mako and I are half Earth Kingdom and half Fire Nation. Mako’s a firebender.”

“Oh, sorry. Are you all benders?” Suki asked. “Not me. I’m just a boring old nonbender.” Asami cut in with a sardonic grin. “But I have something much more important.” Toph leaned forward, elbows on the table like the mannerless little gremlin they knew and loved. “And what’s that?” She asked. Asami leaned forward as well with a wink. “A driver’s license, money, good looks, and common sense.”

“If you’re finished.” Tenzin interrupted with an arched brow. The table went silent as Tenzin sat down, expression severe and drawn. “We need to get you lot back to your own time period as soon as possible. Who knows what kind of damage it could do if you stayed here much longer. We’ll have to figure out how to reactivate the portal immediately and return you to your proper time period.”

Pema frowned and poked Tenzin. “It’s late at night and they’re clearly exhausted. Can’t they stay the night and tomorrow we can send them home?” Toph nodded and leaned back, looking seconds from propping dirty feet up on the table. “Actually, we might stay a few days.” She drawled. Zuko sighed. “She’s got that look on her face. Toph’s never lost an argument when she pulls that face.” He warned before turning back to his food.

“Absolutely not. We need this fixed as soon as possible.” Tenzin replied tersely. “Actually, it might not be a bad idea.” Korra said suddenly. Suki raised a brow and shot Katara a look which was returned with a thoughtful expression. “We need to make sure the portal opens at the right time period. It could take a few days to make sure we do this right. In the meantime, we keep them on the island.”

“I wanna see my statue. I wanna see all our statues.” Toph interrupted. Korra ignored her, fixing Tezin with a serious look. “I’ll keep my eye on them at all times while we work to make sure things work correctly. It’s better to do this right on the first try. Come on Tenzin,” Korra elbowed him in the ribs, grinning at the severe expression he shot her. “Where’s your legendary patience? You know I’m right.”

“...Fine. But no longer than a few days. And we don’t tell them anything about the future.” Pema coughed subtly and avoided eye contact with all the grace of an Air Acolyte avoiding a fight. “Korra, you and your friends are responsible for them at all times.”

“Yes! Vacation!” Toph cheered. “If we’re staying, I want to know how that glove works and what it is.” Sokka added, giving Asami a look as curious and driven as the one she was wearing. Tenzin sighed and turned to his food, massaging his temples. “I’m going to regret this.” He muttered. 


	4. Tenzin's Stressin'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meanwhile…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm apparently very bad at sticking to a Friday upload schedule but for reasons outside the norm. Sorry, this chapter is a little shorter.
> 
> Also bc it came up in the comments, I've never read the comics/books/bonus material. Only ever watched the show, chief. So any canon knowledge/info from the comics is lost on me and that's how I like it (it being the act of being an oblivious bastard). Canon has been slow roasted at low for 8-10 hours in a slow cooker and carved for juicy parts.
> 
> Please enjoy!

_ Meanwhile… _

The walk back to the Air Temple had been tense and fraught with silence as the two groups picked their way across the rocky shore back to the living quarters. Pema had taken one look at the situation placed before her and gracefully stepped in to supervise while Tenzin and the others discussed their next move. 

Personally, Asami would have rather sat back down with their new younger compatriots and asked the dozens of questions bubbling up inside her, perhaps finishing her dinner which had been rudely interrupted. But one look at the shaken expression on Korra’s face had led her to standing in the hallway with her, Tenzin, Bolin, and Mako.

“...So.” Korra said slowly after the silence became too much for them to handle. Tenzin was clearly still in shock, face drawn and pale since they’d realized it was indeed Aang and his companions standing before them on the shoreline. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m pretty sure that’s the actual Avatar Aang and company currently eating Pema’s food.”

Meanwhile, Mako just looked his usual brand of uncomfortable that he pulled out for when shit got complicated. Bolin honestly was the only one freaking out in a positive way; he looked like Christmas had come early as soon as Aang stepped out.

“Either that or it’s a very convincing con job.” Mako muttered, arms crossed. Asami nearly rolled her eyes; Mako’s skepticism, while legendary, could reach nearly absurd levels in her opinion.

“We saw Aang bend earth, he has Master tattoos, and what are the odds of six teenagers who look identical to actual historical figures sneaking onto the Island though a spirit portal?” Asami pointed out with a gracefully arched eyebrow. “I think it’s a safe bet that they’re who they say they are.”

Tenzin nodded solemnly and glanced towards the closed door of the dining hall. “I agree. I know my father.” He said quietly. Asami couldn’t imagine what a shock it would be for her own now deceased father to wash up on some shore, all of something-teen years old. She reached out and gently patted Tenzin on the arm, smiling softly when he nodded his appreciation.

“So now we decide what’s next.” Korra continued. “We need to get them home to their own time period. But… that might be complicated.” Jinora had pulled them aside before slipping off to the library to research and confessed that the spirit portal had felt dormant when they arrived, a feeling Korra had confirmed. 

“The portal isn’t working for whatever reason. We need some help. Jinora, Tezin, and I can look into the library here. Asami, you and Bolin and Mako should check out the library in the city. Worse comes to worse, can we try going through one of the other portals?” Korra frowned and shrugged, clearly struggling.

Asami shook her head. “Those portals lead to the spirit world. We need something that goes through time, not space. And I don’t know of any time portals.” She pointed out.

“Wait guys, if Aang made the portal maybe he knows? And if he doesn’t, maybe his friends do.” Bolin spoke up. “Lord Zuko, Toph, and Katara are still alive. Between the three of them, one of them must know something about the portal.”

“Absolutely not. I’m not involving more people in this disaster.” Tenzin interrupted, giving Bolin a look that would make a lesser (or more socially aware) man shrivel up. “Why not invite Kya and Bumi too? And Su and Lin? I’m sure Fire Lord Izumi would love to see what a mess her now teenaged father is involved in.”

“Why not? Su and Lin are highly capable benders who can help us figure out what the portal is made of. Kya knows spiritual practices better than most people. Bumi’s a genius at planning. Fire Lord Izumi… I don’t actually know anything about, but it feels weird excluding her..” Korra shot back. “Plus she’s the Fire Lord. Surely she has resources to help.”

“Korra makes a good point.” Mako added. “I know it feels weird involving more people but keep in mind who we’re dealing with. These guys are war heros, but they’re also teenagers. It’s gonna be impossible keeping them in line while we sort this out. At the very least Su knows how to wrangle a bunch of kids, and Lin can help with finding answers in the city. Plus as police chief, she should know about anything that could cause trouble in the city. What if other portals spring up? This might just be the beginning, for all we know.”

Tenzin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Asami could practically smell the headache coming on. But she knew Mako and Korra had a point. This was a big situation that could easily go sideways, especially if the kids found their way off the island. Asami could barely imagine the kind of culture shock they’d experience the first time they saw a Satomobile or a skyscraper.

“...Fine. I will contact Lin and Su in the morning. But we should try tonight to send them back. It may be something as simple as the Avatar state activating the portal, and if that’s it the sooner they’re home the better.” Tenzin finally replied.

“I think we should still let Kya and Bumi know. I think they’d want to be involved.” Korra pushed, arms crossed defiantly..

“They’d only make a mess of it. They didn’t have the… best relationship with our father.” Tenzin said delicately. “And if they’re involved, our mother will find out and. I just. I can’t do that to her. Not when our father and her brother’s death nearly killed her.”

_ ‘Fair point.’ _ Asami thought. Her interactions with Tenzin’s siblings and mother had been spotty and usually fraught with pressure from outside dangers. And while they all seemed solid, Tenzin did know them better. As well, she did agree it wouldn’t be fair to their time’s Katara to drag her into what would surely be a heartbreaking mess for her.

“If it was them dealing with this, wouldn’t you want to be involved?” Bolin asked bluntly.

Tenzin flinched mildly, taken aback. “Unlike my siblings, I can keep a secret.” He huffed, looking off kilter at Bolin’s point. “...But maybe you’re right. However, I’m contacting Lin and Su first. They’re closest anyways and should be able to help keep an eye on our guests. And,” Tezin added, holding up a hand when Korra opened her mouth. “I’ll send a letter to Fire Lord Izumi asking if she has any information about time portals. It’s been a few years since we’ve spoken, anyways. I owe her a letter or two.”

“But other than that, I vote we keep this need to know.” Mako added. “If word got out that Avatar Aang was alive and here, there would be insanity to deal with. Chief should be able to keep a lid on any news that gets out, but we still need to play this close to the vest.”

“Precisely.” Tenzin agreed. “And we should still try tonight to send them home. I’ll contact Su and Lin in the morning if it doesn’t work.”

“I don’t think it's gonna be that easy, Tenzin.” Korra said, looking uneasy. “I think we’re gonna have house guests for longer than just for dinner.”

“Speaking of dinner, now that we have a plan can we go eat? I didn’t get to finish my food.” Bolin added, rubbing his stomach. “I can smell Pema’s shrimp prawn rolls from here.”

Sighing, Tenzin nodded and pinched his nose again. “Fine. For now though, I would appreciate it if you four could stay on the island and help me supervise. And we should tell them as little as possible. Especially Avatar Aang.”

“You don’t want him to know he’s your father?” Asami asked in surprise. If it was her, she’d give anything to spend some more time with her dad. Even if the circumstances were… unusual.

“No. He and my mother are young, who knows what confusion and chaos it would cause them to meet their children. The same goes for Toph if we involve Lin and Su.” Tenzin ordered.

Korra sighed and shrugged. “Whatever you say. It’s your call.” She replied with an eye roll. “I think it’s a bad idea to hide anything from them. If they find out, they might not trust us and take off running.”

“If they find out and it freaks them out, they could run anyways.” Mako pointed out. “I think it’s best if we keep the future a secret. No family connection reveals, no story swapping, and definitely no trips off the island.”

“Correct.” Tenzin agreed, nodding firmly to himself. “Now I’m trusting you four to watch over our guests while they’re here. I can’t take time off my duties without raising suspicion and they need to be watched constantly. Do not underestimate them, they took down a tyrannical dictator before they were even old enough for a Sato license. If they put their minds to it, they could cause real trouble for us.”

“Got it, captain.” Korra said, standing up straight. “Besides, they’re a bunch of teenagers. How hard can it be to keep them distracted? They’re practically toddlers.”

“You were a teenaer when you defeated Amon. And Unalaq. And the Red Lotus.” Bolin pointed out as the group turned to walk back into the dining hall. “Don’t underestimate the kids, Korra. Especially kids that are as smart as these ones. I bet they’re already scheming to sneak off the island and visit the city.”


	5. The Gaang Commits Breaking And Exiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So we’re absolutely gonna sneak off the island and visit the city, right?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I know I've been updating pretty fast, but it might slow down from here on out and drop down to once a week as I originally intended. I'll try to keep updates steady, if not frequent. Enjoy!

“So we’re absolutely gonna sneak off the island and visit the city, right?” Toph asked the moment the group was left alone, a few hours later. Despite Tezin’s offer of boys rooms and girls rooms, the Gaang had elected to stay together. The future may look like a plain wooden temple and uncomfortable beds, but that didn’t make it any less frightening. At least to the others. Personally, Toph was ready to hit the mainland and see what the future had to offer.

Katara sighed dramatically. Toph could get a somewhat clear image between the metal nails used to spike the wooden floors together and the thin layer of dust and sand that the wind seemed to blow through off the shoreline in through the windows, but she didn’t need her earthbending to picture the exact downward twitch of Katara’s mouth or how she crossed her arms firmly. She’d been subjected to that expression more times than she cared to count.

“It’s a bad idea.” Katara replied, doling out blankets and pillows. There were only two beds in the room, but no one minded. It wasn’t like they were strangers to sleeping on the floor. “We don’t know what it’s like out there. I think it’s safest to listen to Tenzin and the others and stay on the island.”

“Pussy.” Toph muttered, ignoring Aang’s scandalized gasp. “I think we’re being too trusting. I could hear some of what they were talking about in the hallway, and they wanna keep us locked up here like a dirty secret. I wanna see my statue.”

“...I wouldn’t mind poking around the future.” Suki said suddenly. Toph raised an eyebrow; usually Suki was firmly in the responsible side of camp. But hey, Toph would never turn down corrupting her friends into doing something fun. “We might be here for a reason. I… Okay, I think it  _ was  _ just an accident. But what if we’re here to see something or do something? We can’t do that while hidden away.”

“Besides, who’s Tenzin to tell us what to do?” Toph added.

“Well, he is an airbending Master and in charge of this temple. He’s also our host.” Aang pointed out uneasily.

“No, I mean who is he? Seriously? Pema told us all about the other four when we asked, but she was cagey with the details about Tenzin. Why would they hide that? Who is he?” Toph replied. “Listen, we need to go over what we know so far and decide if we really can trust these guys.”

“Luckily, I’ve been keeping notes.” Sokka interrupted, pulling a notebook and charcoal stick from his pocket. “I wrote down pretty much everything Pema said, and was keeping an eye out for context clues.”

Toph nodded approvingly and sat down on the floor, sprawling out like a lazy cat in the sun. “Go ahead master detective. We’re all listening.” She drawled, only a little mocking. The other joined suit and sat down in a circle, listening and watching as Sokka flipped through his notebook.

“So first off is Korra. She’s definitely the Avatar. We have proof of that.” Sokka started. “She’s Southern Water Tribe, which is weird. Our Southern Water Tribe is nearly decimated, the odds of an Avatar being born out of our village is a million to one. Her parents or grandparents might be from the immigrants that came from the North. Which means the immigration worked long term, and therefore we can assume the South is stable. Especially if Korra’s as well trained as she seems to be.”

“A+ deduction skills, Soks.” Katara replied, pulling a thoughtful expression. “It’s nice to know that there’s even a chance that our Tribe is thriving.”

“What do we know about Asami? Besides the fact that she’s the only non bender in their group.” Suki asked.

Sokka flipped a few pages, humming quietly to himself. “Asami Sato. Non bender, has something called a drivers license, whatever that is, seems to be the brains of the group. I kinda wanna spend an afternoon picking her brain if she’s as into mechanics as Pema said.”

“She’s also rich.” Toph added. The fact had practically screamed in her face with every straight backed seat, every carefully measured bite of food, how she just smelled like expensive perfume and the way her clothes rustled like they were made out of the finest material around. “But she doesn’t strike me as a princess type.”

“Not the way she was wearing that glove. Which, again, I wanna take apart.” Sokka muttered.

“How about the firebender? Mako, I believe?” Zuko asked.

“Captain Sourpuss, you mean? Didn’t get a whole lot on him or his brother except that Bolin seems like sunshine incarnate and Mako likes to suck lemons.” Sokka replied, flipping another few pages. “Firebender, I think he’s the older brother, he and Bolin are mixed. Half Fire Nation, half Earth Kingdom. Bolin’s an earthbender, no social grace whatsoever but it’s oddly charming?”

“He said he wanted to be a Kyoshi Warrior when he was little.” Suki added, grinning at the soft cooing noise Katara made at that. Toph couldn’t help a little stab of fondness either at the idea of a little boy who clearly didn’t have two brain cells to rub together wanting to be a Kyoshi Warrior.

Sue her, she always liked dumb animals.

“And then Tenzin. He’s a Master airbender, head honcho energies. At least his oldest daughter is an airbender, but considering there were photos of all four kids in airbender robes I think it’s a safe assumption that they’re all benders.” Sokka finished out.

Katara hummed quietly to herself and nodded. “So somehow between our time and now, more airbenders were found. But how?”

“This is why I wanna go to the city. We can find answers there that haven’t been censored for us.” Toph argued. If there was one thing she hated, it was being managed. And right now she felt pretty spirit-damned managed.

“You want to go to the city to cause mass chaos and see if you can bend Sokka’s statue into an embarrassing pose.” Zuko replied. Toph shrugged and ignored Sokka’s squawk of outrage. Same difference.

“Okay, let’s put it to a vote then. I vote to go into the city.” Toph decided. “Who’s with me?”

There was no movement for a moment before Suki sighed and held up a hand. “I vote we go too. We need answers and we’re not gonna get them hiding around here like a skunk possum.”

Sokka nodded slowly and, with a shrug at Katara, held up his hand as well. “I vote yes. I also want to see my statue.” He explained when Katara shot him a betrayed look. “Plus, y’know, answers. Curiosity. I just really want to do some futuristic shopping.”

“Valid.” Toph agreed.

“I vote we stay.” Katara said decisively. “I think it could be dangerous. At least here we’re safe. We can always sneak off to the city later.”

“I agree with Katara.” Aang added immediately. Toph mimed puking and rolled her eyes as the group gave Aang a stink eye over his immediate agreement with his girlfriend.

“Zuko buddy, you’re it.” Toph pointed out. “If it’s 50/50, we’ll stay.”

Zuko cussed quietly, looking distinctly uncomfortable like always whenever attention was directed at him. Three years on the Dragon Throne had done little to temper how awkward their friend was in private. “...I want to go into the city.” Zuko finally said after a few moments of silence. “I need to know that 70 years in the future, what we did made a difference. I want to know that it all mattered.”

The rest of them went quiet, thinking over what Zuko had said Toph couldn’t help but remember unanswered letters from her parents, a home she hadn’t seen in years now even if it had never truly felt like home. She could understand the drive to know that it was all worth it.

“Alright. So we’re doing this then?” Katara sighed, looking determined. Toph knew as much as Katara didn’t want to do it, once she was in she was all in. “We’re going to have to sneak out. Aang and I can get us across the harbor. Toph, once we get outside can you tell us if we’re being watched?”

Toph nodded and gave a lazy salute. “Absolutely. I love throwing a wrench in plans. Let’s go cause some trouble.” She crowed, standing up.

The others followed suit, Suki opening up the window and looking around. “Luckily we’re on the ground floor.” She noted, hopping over the sill and helping the others over into the bushes outside. “Toph? Any spying?”

Toph concentrated, letting her seismic sense echo and bounce and crash against everything around them until it formed a perfect picture in her mind. “No going through the courtyard, Korra and Asami are there. No one else seems to be around, though.” She reported.

Sokka nodded and peeked out of the bush. “There’s a path that goes to the back of the island. We should be able to avoid the courtyard. It’s gonna be a longer trip around towards the city, though.” He warned.

Katara and Aang exchanged a look, seeming to talk silently for a moment before shrugging. “We can handle it. We’ll go underwater and form a bubble. We might have to come up for air halfway through, but at that point we should be far enough away from the island that no one will see us. With any luck, we’ll arrive shortly after daybreak.” Katara reported.

Sokka nodded decisively. “Sounds like a plan. Toph? Can you tell us if Korra and Asami catch on?” He asked.

Pulling a face, Toph nodded. “They’re too busy talking about their feelings right now.” She said, face screwed up in displeasure. “Korra’s practicing her earthbending, so we should have plenty of cover.” Personally, Toph was a little surprised by the stance Korra was sliding into. It was eerily familiar to her own bending stance.

“Let’s go then.” Zuko urged, linking arms with Toph as the group carefully snuck out of the bushes and picke their way down the rocky pathway to the back of the island. At one point Katara took Aang’s hand, keeping him from getting distracted and literally floating away as they passed airbending training sites.

“It’s so similar to the ones I grew up with. They must have been made by someone from the Southern Air Temple.” Aang said wistfully, eyeing what to Toph’s senses seemed like a bunch of wooden panels on rotating sticks.

“Well, we’ll go visit the city and sneak back before anyone knows we’re gone. They probably won’t notice we’re missing if we’re back by lunchtime. And then maybe you can ask Tenzin to show you around.” Katara soothed.

Aang nodded slowly, still staring at the training gear as Katara pulled him away. “It’s just so familiar.” He repeated slowly. Toph figured it was probably quite a shock to see a fully fleshed out airbender temple after years of being the only airbender. Part of her almost wanted to call the whole trip off so they could stay and reintroduce Aang to his culture. The larger part of her still thirsted for answers, and knew the that exploring the temple could wait

The Gaang stopped at the bottom of the path as the dirt gave way to sandy pebbles. In front of them, the water lapped wine-dark at the stone as the lights from the city shone like diamonds in the harbor. Toph could smell the salt, hear and feel the disant thrumming of a city that she’d never even imagined could look or sound like that. It seemed to pump life into the air with the distant sounds of honking and screeching and music that poured out into the harbor. Toph had never wanted anything as badly as she wanted to learn what all those noises meant.

“Ready guys?” Katara asked, hands poised to manipulate the water ebbing and flowing in front of them.

The six of them looked at each other, frosty with determination as they approached the water’s edge. “Let’s go see what the future has in store.” Sokka said, the water rising up to cover their bubble of air as they walked into the harbor and towards the city.


	6. Concrete Jungle Where Dreams Are Made Of

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gaang’s adventure started like most good adventures did; with some idiot in a boat nearly mowing them down as they emerged onto the rocky shores of the harbor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yes sorry I'm still alive and this fic is still active. I've got some pretty severe health issues and they've been flaring up lately so that's why updates took a long pause. Thanks to the people who kept commenting even when this fic was on pause, you gave me the motivation to push through and keep writing <3

The Gaang’s adventure started like most good adventures did; with some idiot in a boat nearly mowing them down as they emerged onto the rocky shores of the harbor.

“Watch where you’re going, you fuckin’ meathead!” Toph hollered, shaking a fist in the general direction of the noise. Personally, Zuko thought it was technically their fault for bending in a fishing area, but he knew Toph would rather eat her barely worn shoes that admit to being at fault. Besides as Fire Lord he had the right of way in traffic.

“So…” Zuko said slowly, looking around the shoreline with wide eyes. The rest of the group followed suit, taking in the sights; around them, people wore strange clothing and discussed weird subjects and barely seemed to take note of the group of teens who had quite literally washed up on their shores.

Sokka took a deep breath and nodded to himself, the others recognizing his ‘I’m About To Be The Leader’ rituals and turning their attention towards him accordingly. “First thing’s first, we need to establish a game plan here. If we just wander around the city and cause chaos, things are gonna go south fast.” He decided.

Toph raised a hand. “What if I want to wander the city and cause chaos?” She asked.

Katara fixed Toph with a stern look and crossed her arms. “Then I’m gonna have to tie us together. Again. You remember how last time went, right? You really want to do that again?”

Zuko shuddered at the memory. He was pretty sure there was still a warrant out for all of their arrests.

“Fine.” Toph relented. “No chaos. I want to visit my statue, though.”

“What we need is a map.” Suki piped up, brow arched gracefully at Toph and Katara’s conversation. “We’d get lost without one. We’re right by a ship port, I’m sure someone there sells a map. And since we’re, y’know, famous in the future, I’m sure our statues and stuff are marked on there too.”

“Master strategist strikes again!” Sokka crowed, tossing his arms around Suki and hugging her tightly. “Getting a map should be easy as pigeon crow pie.”

\---

“Why are you trying to pay me in 100 year old money?” The lady behind the counter of the bait shop drawled, eyes narrowed as she glared at the small pile of gold coins sitting in front of her register.

“...Because it’s all we have?” Aang asked more than said, hands raised helplessly as if to ward off the woman’s fierce glare. “You can keep the change. We just need a map of the city.”

“Look, I know you airbenders over on the Island are pretty wrapped up in your own nomadic little world, but here in real life, we take yuans, not old coins.” The lady scoffed. “I doubt even the Earth Kingdom would take money this outdated. Go trade with some coin collector and come back later.”

“Can’t we trade you instead?” Sokka asked. Bartering wasn’t uncommon back home, especially during the war when not everyone had the money to pay for things. Judging by the steely look in the counter woman’s eye, however, Zuko could guess that bartering was also a thing of the past.

The woman opened her mouth, only to pause and squint at the group of teenagers. “...Oh boy, I know who you guys are now.” Zuko and Katara shot each other an alarmed look. Beside them, Suki let her hands rest on her fans where they sat at her hips. “You’re a bunch of those dress up dorks who put on historical costumes and reenact stuff. Your costumes are pretty good.” Pointing at Zuko, she sneered slightly. “Your scar is on the wrong side though, kid.”

Zuko felt his eye twitch and clenched his fists tightly.

“Yes! That’s us! And we’re running late to our… meet up? Reenactment? Whatever, thing is all we have is, uh, old timey money because we’re being historically accurate.” Aang bluffed, eyes wide and innocent like a newborn lamb puppy. “Either way, we really need to be there. As you can see from our costumes, our roles are really important.”

Rolling her eyes, the lady fished a map out of one of her drawers and tossed it on the counter. “Fine, here. Far be it for me to stand in the way of history.” She sighed dramatically. “Now get out of my bait shop.”

The group garbled out their thank you’s before ducking through the front door, map tightly in hand. “That was close.” Suki pointed out, the group coming to a stop a few minutes down the shoreline to open the map and check it out

“Thank the spirits Zuko’s scars on the wrong side.” Sokka added, ducking a swipe to the back of his head from Zuko. Internally, Zuko fumed in silence. He’s been in the public eye since he was born. He’s had the scar for years now. Why does everyone think it’s on the other side? Why is the entire world trying to gaslight him?

“Okay, closest statue is… Sokka’s actually. It’s outside something called the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center.” Katara read off with a soft, almost emotional expression. “There’s a whole building dedicated to Southern Water Tribe culture?”

“Looks like it.” Sokka replied, squeezing Katara’s shoulder. “Let’s go check it out.”

\---

The building was massive, a beautiful turn of the century mansion done in blues and whites and proudly bearing the Water Tribe’s symbol on the front of it. People filtered in and out, children tugging parents along and lovers holding hands as people wandered its decorated halls and admired displays put together with the kind of attention to detail that spoke of a love of the work.

Zuko could hardly blame Katara and Sokka for going silent once they stepped inside, eyes wide with wonder at the carefully preserved beadwork and clothing lining the room. Sokka’s face twisted as he stepped towards the middle of the lobby where a statue of him stood. The statue’s face was older, face lined and shoulders broad and somehow the eyes were full of humour and kindness even though Zuko knew it was just a bronze statue of his friend. The Sokka statue held his boomerang aloft high, grinning widely as his hair twisted and flowed as if through the Arctic wind.

“He looks just like dad.” Sokka said softly, reaching a hand out as if to touch the statue only to stop inches from its metal surface. “I look just like dad.”

“You’ve got mom’s smile.” Katara added, coming up beside Sokka to stare at the statue. “I think you look like the best parts of our tribe.”

Sokka’s mouth warbled for a moment, eyes bright with unshed tears as he looked around the lobby. “ I never imagined there’d be enough of our home to build an entire cultural center around. There was barely enough to build a small village around.”

“According to this pamphlet, it’s all thanks to you.” Suki said, walking back over to the group with a paper in hand. “You’re the one who built this place from the ground up and created the cultural center.”

At that, Sokka blinked wetly as a tear rolled down his cheek. “I did?” He asked quietly, looking between the pamphlet and his statue before scrubbing at his face and eyes.

“Looks like you did a good job, too. The place is packed. Thanks for the metal floors, by the way.” Toph added, slugging Sokka in the arm and grinning at his watery smile.

“Well, I needed you to be able to appreciate how awesome I am and how epic this place is.” Sokka replied, punching Toph’s arm in reply. “Now what do you guys say we blow this place and go find some more statues?”

\---

Suki’s statue was harder to find, but no less impressive for its hidden gem location.

The Republic City Kyoshi Training Center sat in the heart of Little Ba Sing Sei deep in the east of the city. Suki’s statue stood in a mirror of the Kyoshi statue back on the island; a young woman with a serene expression, one fan to her side and the other poised in front of her chest, robes and makeup etched with the finest of detail work as she stood eternal guard over Republic City’s newest Kyoshi Warriors. The only difference was the words carefully scrawled into the metal at her feet;  _ ‘Today’s Struggle Is Tomorrow’s Strength.’ _

“I think it suits you.” Zuko said, watching Suki trace a gentle finger over the inscription with an unreadable expression. Suki had always been one of the strongest, most steady people Zuko had ever known and been lucky enough to call a friend. Without her, he knew they’d have never ended the war on their own.

“You think?” She asked, eyes wide as she looked up at her friends.

“We know.” Aang replied, throwing his arms around Suki and pulling her into a classic tight Aang hug (category 3). Suki smiled and wrapped her arms around him in return, her serene expression matching her statue perfectly.

“This is great and all, and I’m always down for appreciating Suki but can we go see my statue now?” Toph asked loudly.

Sokka snorted and nodded, eyes crinkled in amusement. “Yes you little demon. Let’s go visit the police station and pay homage to your permanent mugshot.”

\---

So far, Toph’s statue was the most impressive. A solid 20 feet tall, she stood dressed to the teeth in metal armouring of some kind as she kept a vigilant watch over the city (thankfully, they hadn’t put shoes on the statue either). Feet shoulder length apart and hands on her hips, she looked every inch as ready for a fight as she did now standing as a teenager on the concrete sidewalk.

“That certainly doesn’t look like a mugshot.” Zuko whistled. “In fact, that looks like someone who’s respected and in charge.”

“You shut your firebreathing mouth immediately. I’ve never been an authority figure once in my life.” Toph shot back, arms crossed as the others snickered and cooed over the statue.

“You’re literally a metalbending teacher but go off.” Katara replied, resting an elbow on Toph’s shoulder. “I like it. I think you clean up nice. There isn’t even any dirt on your statue. You must be really high up the food chain.”

“I will physically assault someone if you all don’t stop implying that I’m an upstanding member of society. This is slander and dragging my awful name through the cleaner!” Toph moaned.

Holding back a laugh, Zuko reached over and patted Toph’s arm. “Don’t worry, you can always try metal bending it into a funny pose.” He soothed.

Toph perked up, shoving her friends out of the way as she slid into a bending stance. “That’s a great idea! Picking her nose or scratching her armpit? I’m taking suggestions. Maybe flipping everyone off?”

“Bend that statue and you’re gonna regret it, Toph Beifong.”

The group froze up, heads whipping to the side to take in a woman standing there, arms crossed and expression severe. She wore a uniform similar to Toph’s statue, though the metal tunic was shorter and the woman was actually wearing shoes. Soft looking grey curls framed her face but did little to soften the angular, angry shape of her look. Three thin scars traced from across her cheekbone to the sharp edge of her jaw. Personally, Zuko thought she was one of the scariest looking women he’d ever met.

“And who are you?” Toph recovered from her surprise quickly, sneering and crossing her arms in response to the sheer annoyance and generally fed up energy radiating off the woman like sulfur gas. The woman scoffed and raised a judgemental brow, frowning more intensely as she took a step forward and rested her hand on some kind of winch device on her hip.

“I’m Lin Beifong, your daughter. Now shut up and follow me before someone realizes who you are.”


End file.
